A WARRINGTON conservation group has praised TV presenter Jeremy Paxman for putting the spotlight on the Mersey in his Channel 4 documentary series “Rivers.”
Paxman was most complimentary to Warrington’s waterways and their uses, the rowing club on the Mersey and its young people in particular.
Ian Johnson, chairman of the Woolston-based New Cut Heritage Group, said: “It was wonderful to see our river feature so well in a prime time documentary.
“The group has worked well with local authorities to improve access and there are more improvements we are working on. Warrington has a unique place in transport history and the generation of new wildlife habitats over the past few decades is also now being recognised nationally.”
In the third episode of the weekly series, Paxman followed the Mersey from source to sea discovering many unknown facets of the river.
The river and Manchester Ship Canal featured,with fabulous aerial shots of the river,s meanders taken from over Woolston Eyes and from the deck of a Warrington Rowing Club rigid inflatable safety boat.
After seeing a training session out on the water, Paxman was impressed with the rowing club’s use of the river from Kingsway Bridge and upstream around the winding course surrounding Paddington Meadows.
The area was referred to as “Warrington’s undiscovered waterscape”.
Little used for navigation after 1821 when the New Cut Canal was opened the Mersey’s banks have been left to return to nature, enhanced by the steep man-made earthworks surrounding the settling ground for silt dredged from the Ship Canal.
A recent bird survey identified 31 different species early one morning – most notably the once rare Cetti`s Warbler, along with 28 sightings of the amber listed Reed Bunting and a splendid Kingfisher, while Buzzards, Sparrow hawks and Kestrels were looking for prey.
Access to this part of the river is by Paddington Lock or New Cut Lane on the north bank and Kingsway Bridge on the southern side.
Working in conjunction with Warrington Borough Council and the Environment Agency, the New Cut Heritage Group has helped improve facilities and access for the public. Recently picnic benches and information boards have been installed.
Discussions are on going on the condition of the access to the meadows at Paddington Lock.
The group has a website under construction at www.newcuttrail.com
Jeremy Paxman’s film can be seen for the next two weeks on the Channel 4 website at http://www.channel4.com/programmes/rivers-with-jeremy-paxman/on-demand/64257-003
The Mersey at Warrington
What Jeremy Paxman had to say about Warrington’s waterways
22 Comments
2 Comments
Excellent documentary as Ian says and gave a good snap shot in a short space of time, Ian has been an inspiration for his group.
Richard from the rowing club gave Jeremy an insight into how the club has gown and has rowers knocking on the international scene.
One of his members another keen rower is on the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust board with me and our chair the South of Warrington – our Environmental Officer told us some months ago that footage had been shot on the new Mersey Gateway Bridge. We have established the MGE Trust along with 3 Widnes colleagues to establish a 30 plan to protect the Upper Mersey Estuary that will monitor and protect the River from Widnes up river to Woolston weir.
The film showed how the Mersey has changed over the year – we hope that we are putting in place projects and work that will build upon and protect for future generations. We already have a number producing results, especially the salt marsh beds near Fiddlers Ferry, Orchid beds as well as saddle back cattle grazing land for future bid habitat, lots of counts of bird species and salmon.
as one of the co founders of the rowing club .i would like to stress the work done by the club to chase down polluters,the river when we arrived was toxic with a film of oil over the surface that was strong enough to remove the varnish from the boats.richard should get an award for his efforts over the decades to get the water safer and above all clean,the growth in fish and bird life started with the rowing club and records confirm this….a great well done to all those who put so much into this,richard is the one constant from the begining.